This invention relates to an enclosure for a self-contained, fresh water flush portable toilet.
Portable toilets have enjoyed considerable popularity, particularly in connection with outdoor recreational activities such as camping. Self-contained, fresh water flush portable toilets have been especially popular and have been commercially sold in what are commonly referred to as one-piece and two-piece types.
In the one-piece type, the bowl, the fresh water storage chamber, and the waste receptacle are inseparable. If it is to be filled with fresh water, the entire toilet is typically carried to a suitable source for filling. Likewise if the waste receptacle is to be dumped, the entire toilet is typically brought to a suitable waste disposal site.
The two-piece types pioneered by the assignee of this invention have come to enjoy superior consumer acceptance because of the ability to separate the seat section, which contains the bowl and fresh water storage chamber, from the holding tank section which forms the waste receptacle. The seat section is separably mounted on the holding tank section, and this enables the two sections to be separated and individually serviced. This promotes user convenience and has come to be held by consumers as preferred over one-piece type portable toilets.
Portable toilets of the one-piece and two-piece types can also be used in connection with other than recreational activities, such as in home or sick room. Indeed the needs of individuals often have to be served by having a portable toilet present in the same room. While these products are designed to offer an attractive appearance, the presence of a portable toilet in the home or sick room is usually recognized as such. Since these rooms will typically be other than bathrooms or lavatories, the presence of a toilet, even one which has an attractive appearance, may be considered by some persons to detract from the surroundings. Such presence may in some cases be considered as a reminder of special needs of an individual who must have a toilet in the same room, and this consideration can be a source of anxiety.
Toilets which are adapted specifically to home and sick room needs may lack the functional features of the two-piece self-contained fresh water flush portable toilets referred to above, and their appearance is probably fairly said to be considerably less attractive than that of such two-piece toilets.
The present invention relates to an enclosure for a portable toilet, particularly a self-contained fresh water flush portable toilet, which promotes the utility of such toilets for home and sick room use. The preferred embodiment of enclosure comprises a horizontal base member and vertical sidewall members forming an interior space for such a toilet. This interior space is opened and closed by a moveable wall. In the closed position, the portable toilet is concealed from view; in the open position the portable toilet is rendered accessible for use.
The preferred form for this moveable wall is a sectionalized sliding one which comprises a number of individual sections whose ends are captured by tracks on the sidewalls to support and guide the moveable wall. The organization and arrangement is such that when the moveable wall is in the closed position, a portion of it forms a generally horizontal top surface which can serve as a seat allowing a person to sit on the enclosure. Thus not only does the enclosure serve to conceal a portable toilet, it also constitutes what may be considered as a form of stool.
The enclosure also possesses features suited to the needs of home users. One of these is the ability to be conveniently moved from place to place. Normally the enclosure rests on the bottom edges of its two sidewalls, but it comprises a pair of wheels via which it can be rolled. However, for the wheels to be placed in contact with the underlying support surface along which it is to be rolled, the enclosure must be tipped at an inclined angle because at rest the two wheels are slightly off the ground. Tipping of the enclosure will bring the wheels into contack with the ground. This same act of tipping of the enclosure also serves to lift the sidewalls off the underlying surface so that only the wheels are in contact with the underlying surface for rolling. When the toilet is at rest with its sidewalls on the underlying surface, it enjoys a very stable support. This is important because many users will use the enclosure as a support aid when either seating or unseating themselves.
Another feature is that the sidewalls of the enclosure comprise hand grip regions near the top which are available as assists for grasping by the individual when sitting onto and rising from either the toilet or the closed enclosure. These same hand grip regions are used for tipping of the enclosure and rolling.
As a further aspect of the stability of the enclosure and toilet combination the enclosure comprises a well in the base member within which the portable toilet seats. The shape of the well closely conforms to the shape of the particular portable toilet with which it is intended to be used so that the portable toilet is essentially prevented from shifting on the base. The configuration of the well in relation to the toilet still allows the toilet to be conveniently removed from and placed into the well when the toilet itself is to be serviced either by adding fresh water and/or dumping its waste contents. The enclosure also supports the portable toilet so that the seat ring is at an elevation which is significantly higher than if the portable toilet were placed directly on the underlying support surface, and this can render the product better suited to the needs of many home users.
The organization and arrangement of the disclosed embodiment of enclosure possesses the ability to be fabricated in an efficient manner with conventional fabrication procedures.
The foregoing features, advantages, and benefits of the invention, along with additional ones, will be seen in the ensuing description and claims which should be considered in conjunction with the accompanying drawings. The drawings disclose a preferred embodiment of the invention according to the best mode contemplated at the present time in carrying out the invention.